Writing Arguments: A Rhetoric With Readings [Paperback]

John D. Ramage (Author), John C. Bean (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 1997 | ISBN-10: 0205269176 | ISBN-13: 978-0205269174 | Edition: 4 Sub

The market leader in argumentative rhetorics, Writing Arguments has proven highly successful in teaching students to read arguments critically and to produce effective arguments of their own.

 

With its student-friendly tone, clear explanations, high-interest readings and examples, and well-sequenced critical thinking and writing assignments, Writing Arguments offers a time-tested approach to argument that is interesting and accessible to students and eminently teachable for instructors.

 

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

In order to establish credibility with an audience - co-workers, town officials or administrators, or friends - people need to know the appropriate rules for arguing or persuading.

This book offers the most effective combination of rhetoric and readings of any argument books available. It strongly emphasizes argument as the social act it is and treats the topic as a means of clarification and truth-seeking as well as a means of persuading an audience. Designed for anyone who wants to learn the "proper" way to create an argument in writing or in speech, this book is unsurpassable.

Product Details

• Paperback: 721 pages
• Publisher: Allyn & Bacon; 4 Sub edition (June 30, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0205269176
• ISBN-13: 978-0205269174
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #513,438 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful, articulate, and readable rhetoric., November 17, 2004

By 

J. Edwards (Evanston, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Writing Arguments: A Rhetoric with Readings, Sixth Edition (Paperback)

"Writing Arguments" shines like a beacon in the dark and murky waters of composition textbooks. Although some have critiqued it for its "passive" approach, I support both the approach and the layout as the best way I've found to approach basic argumentation. A solid understanding of audience (in particular) is vital for successful writing, and it's also something inexperienced, self-focused writers often lack.

Rather than pushing a "win at all costs" or "go with your gut" victory-based approach to rhetoric, the authors promote rhetorical writing grounded in Perelman's audience concepts, Toulmin's warrants, and Aristotelian enthymeme. By encouraging students to locate common ground (warrants) between themselves and their real or imagined audience, this book sets them up to engage in rhetoric as participants in a broader civic culture. And this is the rhetoric that will ultimately equip them to survive in the real world--where knowing what a client or an opponent wants and believes is critical to "winning" the argument in a lasting and productive way.

No theory or approach is perfect (not that I've found so far at least), and a rigid application of the Toulmin model or the schema as outlined in this book will inevitably bog down writers as they move into more advanced composition. But that, afterall, is why we teachers are there. By focusing students' attention on the basic principles in the book--audience awareness, orderliness, situational groundedness, etc.--rather than forcing them to memorize rules or endlessly construct Toulmin models, I may just be able to help my students develop a new respect for argumentation as discovery (and themselves as rhetors) in the public sphere. And if we can do that, maybe there's a little civil light in the civic culture tunnel after all.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Essential for Argument Presentation, March 1, 2007

By 

Monty Rainey (New Braunfels, TX) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Writing Arguments: A Rhetoric with Readings, Concise Edition (4th Edition) (Paperback)

Presented in textbook fashion, WRITING ARGUMENTS: A RHETORIC WITH READINGS, doesn't exactly make for compelling reading, but is certainly a critical source for argumentation documents. Author's Ramage, Bean and Johnson guide the reader through the process both deliberately and succinctly, covering every aspect of argument presentation, beginning with definition through source documentation.

Mine is an older edition and the technology aspect is dated, but nonetheless, I turn often to this book to guide me through argument preparation. Though certainly intended for classroom study, this book is also useful outside the classroom. I have prepared a fair number of arguments for political presentation and have found this to be a useful volume.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremly helpful, January 11, 2011

By 

avogt2 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Writing Arguments: A Rhetoric with Readings (8th Edition) (Paperback)

I have just started reading the first 4 chapters. It sticks to the point of what you need with learning how to write a successful argumentation paper. I have ADHD and I am able to understand and write with the instructions in this book